By Stephano Polis
After 45 years of service and as President, I am sad to say goodbye to the community that I love, Astoria and Long Island City.
I started this journey at the age of 29. I was single, not a worry in the world. Today I am seventy-four years (young) (thank God very healthy) married to the most amazing wife, have three wonderful children and just 3 months ago I became a grandfather of two beautiful healthy granddaughters.
I, in these 45 years, have weathered many glories and heartaches, all in the name of Astoria.
It all started 1976 when my late beloved father Giuseppe, my late beloved brother Nicolo and myself, purchased an old abandoned ice house in a NYC auction (my brother’s workplace).
Today the abandoned ice house, after many transformations, is known as one of the largest sports complexes in NYC.
Now the space offers elevator service, parking, full health club, a spin room, aerobics, zumba, yoga, olympic style swimming pool, hot jacuzzi, sauna, swimming lessons, two soccer fields with plexiglass walls and astro-turf fields, children birthday party room with super size jumping castle and super slide, private dining rooms, and a penthouse catering hall with fine dining, dancing, and view of Manhattan.
All of the above given amenities were supervised by the owners with unbeatable customer service, dedicated professional staff and above all at unbeatable low prices.
The Complex has won many awards, and with each award received, it gave me the strength and vision to add more and more amenities and floor space, all for the community of Astoria.
My sincere thanks go to all of my loyal, dedicated employees that I had the pleasure of working with.
A special thanks go to my wonderful hard working children, Joseph, Paulete, and Victor. The complex is what it is today because of them.
My children first started coming to the complex when they were babies, to play basketball, help me with birthday parties and interact with other children. They came to learn the value of hard work and learn to love what they were doing, serving the customers and the community of Astoria with courtesy and respect.
Today more than ever, I am very proud of them and am proud to say that they are my children.
On a final note, I want to thank all my loyal customers. It was a pleasure serving you and I wish you good health and happiness.
It’s time for the president to hang up his keys and put on his dancing shoes and hope to God for good health and time to spend with my adorable family especially my grandchildren.
Best regards,
Steve.

EmblemHealth, one of the nation’s largest non-profit health insurers, announced the opening of its newest EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care center, located at 41-61 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11355.
The Flushing Neighborhood Care center is free and open to the entire community, with staff who speak multiple languages and are trained in delivering culturally competent services and support. Anyone who needs insurance can also get help onsite from team members who can guide them through the process of signing up for affordable coverage.
“EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care provides crucial support to the communities we serve. Our centers offer virtual appointments, health education classes, and connections to community resources so that those most impacted by COVID-19 can continue to receive the support and care they need,” says Beth Leonard, EmblemHealth’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. “We are thrilled to bring these vital services and resources to the residents of Flushing.”
The new site is part of EmblemHealth’s ongoing community investment strategy to address social determinants of health, the social and economic conditions that disproportionately affect health risks and outcomes in diverse and underserved communities.
The new location is in the heart of Flushing, Queens to accommodate and meet community members where they are. With multiple Customer Care Navigators who live in Flushing, the location is fully equipped to provide culturally competent services and digital literacy support. EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care’s professionals offer support in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Neighborhood Care’s locations in other boroughs offer support in additional languages, including Spanish. EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care Flushing center is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm.
EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care Flushing is co-located with Advantage Care Physicians (ACPNY)—part of EmblemHealth’s family of companies—where community members can also access medical and specialty services at the recently expanded ACPNY medical office.
With the opening of Neighborhood Care Flushing Center, residents now have access to a one-stop shop for health care and community resources, where they can find doctors, free wellness classes, Customer Care Navigators who can answer questions about health benefits, and more.
With 13 locations across New York City and Long Island, EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care is open to the entire community and provides in-person and virtual customer service, offers health and wellness resources like yoga and meditation, and helps people access additional community resources to address barriers to their health like food insecurity, transportation and more.

The 1980’s graffiti, art and music scenes are things of legend, and restaurateur John McNulty offers a small taste of them with Thief, his new Williamsburg bar that opened last week.
“It’s my modern take on a neighborhood bar, and I can’t wait to bring it to the city at this moment of resilience,” says McNulty. “I dig the low key, casual vibe of a dive bar more than anything else but also appreciate a killer glass of wine. I hope a visit to Thief will help our visitors steal back some of the time they lost to the pandemic.”
Thief is open daily on Monday through Friday from 5pm – 2am, Saturday and Sunday from 12pm – 2am; located at 595 Union Ave (on the corner of N 11th).
McNulty has over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and during this time he learned that the casual, friendly vibe of a good dive bar is impossible to beat. With Thief, he hopes to pair this type of atmosphere with an upscale, contemporary bar program and some edgy, ‘80s style.
Their chicken parm sandwiches are one of the great foods they offer along with their killer wine menu that focuses on small producers that McNulty discovered throughout his years in the restaurant industry.
For those on a budget, there will always be pours below $10 on a list that includes some pinks and oranges along with an array of reds and whites. On hot days you can opt for a Friesling – a frosty glass of frozen riesling.
The Summer Nights offers a twist on the classic Old Fashioned by mixing reposado tequila with oranges bitters and peaches, while the Supersonic amps up a gin and tonic with celery shrub and a cucumber ice cube.
While a destination on it’s own, Thief is also perfect for a pre or post-meal libation for guests hitting one of the area’s popular restaurants – a selection of aperitif and after dinner drinks await visitors who are dining nearby. In keeping with the unpretentious vibe, McNulty promises neighborhood friendly beers like Miller Lite and Estrella Jalisco will flow alongside some select craft rarities from Other Half, Stillwater Artisanal and many more.
Thief also offers a large take out window, allowing passerbys a taste of the fun with a custom menu that can be enjoyed on-the-go. Take-out and delivery have become a crucial solution for many bar operations in NYC, and Thief’s take-out window is an extension physically built into the design of this new space to accommodate a wide range of customers and their varying needs.
Occasional live music will also capture the creative energy that coursed through the early ‘80s, while a top-notch sound system will fill the room with gritty soul. The double entendre hidden in the bar’s name hints at the spirit Thief hopes to add to the neighborhood: a thief is a tool used by producers of all things beverage (wine, beer, spirits) used when sampling from their barrels, and the classic meaning of the word should inspire you to purloin some precious moments for yourself.
For more information, please visit thiefnyc.com or follow along on Instagram @thief.bk.

On Monday June 28th, a United States Postal Worker was assaulted by three men on dirt bikes in Greenpoint. The unprovoked attack was captured by the security camera of a nearby store, and has since been made publicly available on the NYPD Crime Stoppers website and youtube channel.

The mail carrier (whose name is being withheld for privacy reasons) was pushing his mailcart down McGuinness Boulevard near Nassau Ave at around 6 p.m. when three men on electric dirt bikes rode up onto the sidewalk behind him. The bikers then dismounted their vehicles and began to punch and kick the man.

The victim began fighting back against the attackers before multiple passerby came to his aid. The three bikers then fled, travelling south down McGuinness Boulevard.

The entire incident unfolded during broad daylight while local businesses were still open.

According to the NYPD, the mail carrier sustained multiple broken bones in the face and was taken to Woodhull Hospital for treatment. Luckily, he is in stable condition.

The NYPD is requesting that anyone with information regarding the attack reach out to the Crime Stoppers Hotline at -800-577-TIPS (8477). Information can also be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website, www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, on Twitter @NYPDTips.

The attack in Greenpoint adds to the growing trend of violent crimes in New York City. According to a recent statistics report by the NYPD, overall crime in May 2021 was up 22 percent from May 2020.

On Tuesday, June 29th, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and other officials from the Diocese of Brooklyn gathered to dedicate a new Church and art center. The creation of new churches in the five boroughs has become a rare occurrence in recent years, making Tuesday’s event a powerful milestone, especially after the pandemic limited the capacity of Churches for close to a year.

The new Church, Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church is located at the corner of S. 3rd Street and Berry Street in Williamsburg. With a maximum capacity of 550 people, Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church will easily expand the number of masses and services that the Diocese will offer in North Brooklyn.

Bishop DiMarzio chose to dedicate this new church on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, a Catholic feast celebrated annually on June 29. Immediately following the Mass, Bishop DiMarzio blessed the new parish center building, which includes a new arts center focused on community engagement. The art center comes equipped with a newly renovated 600-seat theater and is housed in the Historic Williamsburg Opera house, which was built in 1897.

“We have witnessed a ceremony that few get to see in a lifetime because there are not that many new churches, certainly not here in Brooklyn and Queens, but this completely new renovation making a new church here on the ground level, giving us so many classrooms and a public center is truly unique,” Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said in his homily.

He continued: “This new church, this new center, this new beginning, this new evangelization is something that gives us inspiration. I am happy that I have been here as Bishop now to see this day. It is a long time in coming but I pray that together today we take heart. We become new disciples of the new evangelization effort. We reach out to others who need us. Those who are already Catholics; those other Christians; those who know not the faith and need to encounter Jesus Christ.”

Monsignor Anthony Hernandez, the former pastor of the Parish who helped bring about the new construction project, also shared remarks.

“Today is a very important day for Ss. Peter and Paul Epiphany Parish and the Diocese of Brooklyn,” Monsignor Hernandez said. “With the inauguration of this new church and center, this parish, which has existed since before the Civil War, will begin a new chapter of outreach and evangelization to the people of Williamsburg, as well as to the people of Brooklyn and Queens.”
The last time a new church was opened in the Diocese of Brooklyn was in 2008 at Our Lady of Snows in the Floral Park section of Queens. The last church renovated and re-dedicated was the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn in 2014.

26-year-old Edouard Massih opened Edy’s Grocer (136 Meserole Ave) with the goal of bringing Lebanese cuisine to the people of Greenpoint and North Brooklyn. This past Friday, he was able to share his cooking with the entire country when he was featured during a segment of NBC’s The Today Show.

Aired just two days before the Fourth of July, the segment featured Edouard (known by his friends and customers as Edy) making grilled corn, halloumi salad, za’atar spiced chicken, and no-bake chocolate cookies. The dishes are perfect for any summer get-together and make use of traditional Lebanese ingredients that are close to Edy’s heart.

As a Lebanese immigrant who moved to the U.S. in 2004, Edy is both humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to share his work so widely.

“To be honest with you, I never in a million years expected all this exposure in less than a year after opening our doors,” an enthusiastic Edy told our paper after filming for The Today Show. “With all the press and all the appearances, what makes me the happiest is how the neighborhood is starting to learn all about middle eastern spices, culture, and cuisine though the shop. My goal throughout all of this will always be to share the joy of Lebanese cooking and culture.”

While on the air, Edy also spoke of the challenges that came with opening and operating a business in the midst of a pandemic.

“It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done,” Edy explained, “but it was also really fun to have my community and my friends come in and help me out. It was a group effort.”

All of the recipes that Edy showcased on the air can be found by vistining today.com/food.

Edy’s Grocer also recently launched its own revamped website, which features original recipes, special deals, and an online shop. Visit edysgrocer.com for more details.

Edy’s Grocer is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 AM to 7 PM and Saturday through Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM. You can follow the store on Instagram @edysgrocer.

Under Armour is bringing flag football to kids in Brooklyn, as they present the “Under the Lights” football league. The co-ed league is available for boys and girls from Kindergarten through 8th grade, looking to get all those interested onto the field.
It’s the first Under Armour investment for flag football in Brooklyn, and all those involved are hoping to get the nationwide program off to a great start in New York. Under the Lights has found success across the US as the fastest-growing youth flag football league, and has done a great job of promoting youth engagement in sports and activities.
The first season will consist of a seven-game season, playoffs, and a championship game. Play will kick off in September with the playoffs coming at the start of November. Games will be held on Friday nights
Meet and greets will be held in July as the league begins registration for the fall. The first two meetings will be held on July 10th and 17th at 872 Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, in front of the Golden Krust Restaurant. On July 24th and 31st, meetings will be held at George Floyd Square at Flatbush Junction.
Parents are eagerly urged to volunteer to coach and are encouraged to sign up alongside their kids during the meetings. The fee to register is $200, with an extra $10 fee for registration after September 6th. For families with multiple kids, the league offers a sibling promotion. By using the code “SiblingDiscount” during registration, additional kids will receive a $25 discount.
Participants will receive Under Armour game shirts and shorts, with coaches getting a youth football. The games are six-on-Six on 25 yard by 50 yard fields, with nine to ten players on each roster, ensuring all kids who register get to play. There are no tryouts or drafts, with the rosters formed by “friend” or “coach” request.
For players registering alone, the league will assign them to teams with some sort of familiarity, trying to match players by school, neighborhood, or organizations they take part in. While the league will do their best to balance the teams, the goal is to get kids on the field and playing as the city starts to reintroduce youth sports leagues.
There will be food and music at games, trophies and/or medals presented to the champions, and plenty of memories to be made under the Friday night lights in Brooklyn.

The growth of Downtown Brooklyn’s skyline reached a major milestone this past week.

9 Dekalb Avenue, the 93-story residential skyscraper that will one day be the tallest building in the borough, officially became the tallest structure in Brooklyn on Wednesday during its construction. 9 Dekalb surpassed the 720-foot mark, making it taller than the Brooklyn Point Building at 138 Willoughby Street that is currently the borough’s tallest.

Designed by SHoP Architects and developed by JDS, 9 DeKalb Avenue will stand 1,066 feet tall when it is finally completed sometime next year. The building will come equipped with 450 rental apartments and 150 condominiums, none of which will be reserved as affordable housing units.

9 Dekalb Avenue is located directly behind the neoclassical Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn (which first opened in 1908), and together the two structures paint an effective picture of the monumental changes Brooklyn has experienced over the past century.

For many years, the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower — originally opened in 1929 — was the tallest structure in Brooklyn. It held that title all the way through 2010, when it was finally surpassed by the Brooklyner building at 111 Lawrence Street. The honor of tallest building in Brooklyn has changed many times in the past decade, with 9 Dekalb becoming the latest to hold the title.

For reference, the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower rises 512 feet high, approximately half the height of the 1,066 feet tall tower at 9 Dekalb Avenue.

The surge in high-rise development can largely be attributed to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s historic 2004 upzoning of multiple neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The zoning change opened the gates to high-rises (for both residential and commercial use) and other large developments that had previously been prohibited in the area.

While the rezoning has led to an unprecedented amount of growth in the area, it has coincided with constantly rising costs throughout the borough and widespread gentrification.

Additionally, residents throughout North Brooklyn are upset that the park space that was also promised as a part of the 2004 rezoning is still yet to be constructed. In Williamsburg and Greenpoint, the grassroots organization Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park have continued to lobby the city to add additional green spaces throughout the area to match the stunning rate of high rise development.

“The population growth along the North Brooklyn waterfront initiated by the 2004 rezoning has exceeded the city’s estimates by historic proportions,” Steve Chesler, an organizer for Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park, explained to our paper. “After 16 years and counting only 8 acres out of 27 are built or in progress. For our health and well being, the city must speed up its execution and funding for completion of this public green space, and fulfill its commitment to its residents.”

Electric transportation company Revel has quickly been becoming a mainstay on New York’s roads. The company’s iconic blue scooters are dotted throughout the city, including many in Brooklyn.

This week, the company’s Brooklyn presence increased greatly with the opening of a new fast charging superhub in Bed-Stuy. The Superhub is the largest universal Electric Vehicle (EV) fast charging depot in the Americas with 25 chargers, and is the first of a network of Superhubs planned by Revel across New York City.

Revel’s superhub is only the third publicly-available EV fast charging station in New York City, with the other two located all the way out by JFK airport. At a ribbon-cutting event on Tuesday, representatives from Revel expressed their hope that the Superhub would expand EV adoption throughout the city.

“It’s no surprise that EV adoption is lagging in our city- the infrastructure just isn’t here yet, and the stations that do exist aren’t accessible to most New Yorkers,” said Revel CEO and Co-Founder Frank Reig. “Our Superhubs are designed to reach as many people as possible in the neighborhoods where they actually live. This is what NYC needs to move towards an electric future and we’re excited to get started.”

The ribbon-cutting was also attended by national and local elected officials who sang the virtues of electric vehicles.

“Today’s ribbon cutting isn’t about just one charging station, even though it is the biggest universal charging station in the country,” United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said at Tuesday’s event.

She continued: “It represents our vision for building a clean energy economy on the foundation of good-paying jobs, overcoming and improving the health outcomes of communities too often left behind. As the old saying goes—if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. And we need electric vehicles and charging stations everywhere, in cities and towns all across America.”

Bed-Stuy City Council Member and Brooklyn Borough President candidate Robert E. Cornegy Jr. concurred.

“Bed-Stuy is taking the lead by becoming home to the largest universal fast charging depot in North America,” Cornegy said. “We are showing that fighting global problems like greenhouse emissions can help our local businesses, so we welcome Revel as part of our community.”

The new charging station also represents the first of multiple planned partnerships between Revel and New York energy giant Con Edison.

“As we work to combat climate change, the future of transportation is electric, but many drivers won’t feel comfortable buying an EV until they see a critical mass of public charging stations around the city,” Con Edison CEO Tim Cawley said of the new charging station. “The Brooklyn superhub makes it convenient for current EV owners to charge up and will encourage more New Yorkers to consider buying an electric car.”

Elsewhere in Brooklyn, Con Edison recently broke-ground on a new clean energy hub in Gowanus. When completed, the hub will come equipped with an additional 18 electric vehicle charging stations.

Despite the ribbon-cutting festivities, electric scooters have recently received a fair amount of negative press after a number of accidents, including a hit-and-run that claimed the life of actress Lisa Banes (Gone Girl, NCIS) in Manhattan. Mayor Bill de Blasio and other officials have since called for more e-scooter regulation in the city.

In days of old, Brooklyn was a haven for breweries, with factories and distilleries of all sorts lining the borough’s waterways. Things changed with time though, as the factories closed and New York transitioned from an industrial city into a post-industrial one.

However, a dedicated community of craft brewers remain who keep the storied history of Brooklyn-brewed beers alive. Such is the case at Other Half Brewing.

“There were once over 35 breweries here, but now there is nothing,” explained Geriz Ramirez, General Manager at Other Half Brewing, during our paper’s recent site visit at the company’s new Domino Park location.

Founded in 2014 in Carroll Gardens, Other Half Brewing has always been rooted by its simple mission to push the boundaries of craft beers. Since then, the company has found a loyal community of fans and opened additional breweries in upstate New York and Washington D.C. and has participated in festivals throughout the U.S.

Earlier this year, Other Half opened a Domino Park location along the Williamsburg waterfront. The new site comes with a state-of-the-art brewing system that will help the company push the envelope in the craft-brewing industry.

“This is basically an R&D [research and development] location,” Ramirez explained. “So we test things out and if something works we will expand it to something bigger. It’s pretty amazing.”

Ramirez works alongside Stjepan Pavich (Other Half’s Head of Innovations) and Anthony Finley (Other Half’s Tasting Room Manager) at the Domino Park location. Together, the jovial trio — all of whom live nearby in Brooklyn and Queens — work to dream up the most innovative and original beverages they can imagine.

“The innovation helps bring customers into this location but it also gives us an opportunity to see what we can scale up for the other locations,” Pavich explained while showing off their impressive five-barrel brewing system.

This summer, Other Half’s Domino Park team is celebrating the launch of their new Oh2 Hard Seltzer. The summery drink was first brewed on site in March of this year, and is now being shipped out to Other Half’s other locations.

“If I’m making a seltzer, I want it to be as crisp and clear as possible,” Pavich said. “We made it a blank canvas so we could mold it into whatever we wanted it to be.”
The Oh2 seltzer lineup includes Ginger Lime Mule, a rendition of the classic Moscow Mule with a ginger beer kick, and All Citrus Everything, a refreshing and tart seltzer finished with pink grapefruit juice. Additional flavors made with all-natural ingredients are scheduled to drop later this summer, all of which will max out at just 120 calories per 12-ounce can.

Pavich — who first learned how to make wine from his father — has found that working for Other Half is both rewarding and enjoyable.

“In my 20s I was home-brewing a lot and I hated my job,” he explained with a chuckle. “Luckily I ended up here. We are all friends too and aside from work we actually hang out.”

The innovative nature of the Domino Park location in particular allows the brewing team to pursue their fantasies of the perfect beverage.

“I personally love stouts and lagers. We recently just made a banana lager. It turned out to be pretty amazing,” Ramirez said. “It had all those strong flavors of banana without being a puree. Stuff like that I really like. It’s my dream.”

“It’s fun that the system allows us to experiment,” Finely chimed in. “It’s quiet in the morning when we come in, we have a nice view while we work, and it’s fun all day.”

The Domino Park team is excited about some of the other projects it has planned for down the line, including experiments with daiquiris, dried fruits, and even pistachio nuts.

Even though this innovative trio is having fun, brewing is still hard work. Unlike a larger brewery, there is no automation at Other Half and all the work must be done by hand. This includes working with heavy equipment and chemicals.

Additionally, the Other Half team opted to wait pretty long until reopening after the pandemic, keeping it’s locations closed until well into 2021.

“We took a long time for that though,” said Ramirez. “We opened our tap room pretty late because we wanted all our employees to feel safe and for our customers to know that we care.”

Luckily, the brewery is fully open once again, opening the door for innovation, creation, and fun times.

“We are at full capacity right now,” Ramirez said with a smile. “We have free will to do whatever we want.”

Other Half Domino Park is located at 34 River Street and is open for indoor and outdoor seating. A variety of cans and bottles are also available for curbside pickup and neighborhood bike delivery.